PokerStars Releases European Poker Tour Schedule

LONDON, England -- John Duthie, Chief Executive of the PokerStars.com European Poker Tour (EPT), today announced the first half of the schedule for EPT Season Six. The European Poker Tour is now the
  world's richest poker tour in terms of both players and prize pools and is sponsored by PokerStars, the world's largest online poker site with over 23 million registered players worldwide.

"The new EPT season includes many events which have made the past five seasons such a triumph with world record breaking fields and prize pools across Europe." said Duthie. "We have set very high standards and we aim to improve on this still further in Season Six - with new additions to the schedule as well as a richer mix of games and buy-ins to cater for more players."

Last year's PokerStars EPT season proved a massive success and overtook the WPT in terms of amount of players and prize pools. EPT Season Five generated an overall prize pool of almost €55 million (approx $77 million USD) with 7,980 players from 97 countries of which 3,077 were PokerStars players. The four richest prize pools available in poker tournaments outside the United States last year occurred during the fifth season of the PokerStars EPT at: the PCA ($12.7M USD); Monte Carlo ($12.3M USD); San Remo ($7.5M USD); and Barcelona (7M USD).

The EPT Monte Carlo Grand Final generated the biggest ever prize pool in Europe at more than €9.3 million. The Grand Final winner, newly-signed Team PokerStars Pro Netherlands member Pieter de Korver, a 26-year-old poker pro from Leeuwarden, Holland, bested a record field of 935 players to take the first prize of €2.3 million ($3.2 million USD).

"This year's EPT will be bigger and better than ever, kicking off in August in one of our new scheduled destinations – magnificent Moscow in Russia. Overall, the tour will visit an unprecedented thirteen countries* - an increase of four events on top of last season. As well as Russia, the tour will include new stops in Portugal this November and other destinations to be announced shortly." said Duthie.

The PokerStars EPT Season Six looks set to continue building upon the successes of the previous five seasons, attracting even more players and even larger prize pools. There will be more 'Festival of Poker' style stops on the tour, beginning in London this October with "The Pokerstars.com EPT London Festival at the Hilton Metropole Hotel" which will feature significant Pot-Limit Omaha and 8-Game events, as well as the return of the popular High Roller event. The EPT London Main Event will likely be the richest tournament ever in the United Kingdom.

Online satellites for the PokerStars EPT Moscow, Season Six start today, Monday, 15 June, 2009 on PokerStars with buy-ins from as little as $2.22. Players who qualify on PokerStars don't just win their seat; they also win hotel accommodation (or cash equivalent) and spending money as part of their prize package. The EPT invites players from around the world to participate in this exciting event in Russia's historic and storied capital.